Morag Fleming explores the Northumberland Coastal Path
Morag Fleming shares her favourite parts of this scenic route . . .
THE Northumberland Coastal Path runs 100 km (62 miles or so) from Cresswell in the south to Berwick-uponTweed in the north.
I have to confess right now, dear readers, and admit that this intrepid “Friend” reporter did not walk it in its entirety, but rather explored the path and its surrounding areas to help you make an informed decision about how best to tackle this gorgeous part of the world.
I could fill pages raving about every stretch of golden sand – and there are many – and every spot along the way, but instead here are the highlights, and I shall leave you to discover your own gems on your own visit.
Cresswell is the start of the Northumberland Coastal Path. The consensus seems to be to walk south to north so the prevailing wind is in your favour and you are not looking into the sun all the time.
Cresswell is very small and unassuming, and can get disproportionately busy in the summer so be warned, or avoid summer altogether as the scenery is beautiful in any season.
I wander away from the beach to start with, up to the church with its lovely bell tower and to the 15th-century fortified house which has more than its fair share of ghost stories.
Now to the beach, but not before a wee sampling of the home-made ice-cream in Cresswell Ices!
I walk a good way along
the sand before turning back, and it is firm and easy underfoot as the tide is out.
When the tide is in it can be softer and more difficult as walkers are forced closer to the dunes. This is a feature of much of the path which is on the beaches themselves.
When I return to the van, I then follow the road, and the Coastal Path to the next points of interest – wetlands and ponds which are home to various birds and amphibians, and Druridge Bay Country Park.
Next stop along the coast, and probably the first opportunity for an overnight stop if you’re tackling this as a long-distance walk, is Amble.
This is a small town that has everything you need to stock up on provisions, stay over, have a drink, get cash etc.
It has a fantastic ice-cream shop – Spurelli, just at the harbour – and, also at the harbour, the newest addition to the town, a set of shopping “pods” which house a variety of wares from bread and cheese to cosmetics and gifts.
I also take a Puffin Cruise around Coquet Island which has a seal colony, a puffin colony and an array of terns, including the rare roseate tern.
Amble is also known as Warkworth Harbour and it is difficult to ignore the imposing Warkworth Castle which is only a couple of miles up the road and set in another nice wee village with a high street full of shops, tearooms and inns.
It’s all about the castle, though, and it is a good one. This was the seat of the Percys, the most wellknown of whom is Harry Hotspur. The audio guide enthusiastically brings to life the goings on of the castle in its heyday.
Perhaps more interesting here is the nearby Hermitage. This is accessed on certain days only by walking a half mile along the river from the castle car park and liaising with a boatman who will row visitors across the river to the church and dwelling carved out of the bedrock on the other side. It even has windows, a vaulted ceiling and candle holders!
There are now four miles or so of beautiful sandy beach and dunes to follow until the village of Alnmouth.
Here there are a few gift shops, tearooms and good pubs for replacing all that energy from the walk. My favourite is the old school building which is now a gallery and coffee shop.
My next stop is Howick Hall. This magnificent house is still occupied by the Howick family who are descended from the Greys.
The 2nd Earl Grey, Charles, was the most famous for two reasons. Firstly he was Prime Minister from 1830-1834; secondly he asked a Chinese mandarin to blend a special tea for him using bergamot to offset the lime in the Howick spring water.
Yes, Howick Hall is the home of Earl Grey and you can partake of a cup or two in the tearooms, and buy a bag to take home!
To walk off the huge scone that I inevitably had to accompany my beverage, I take a turn around the grounds which are the main reason for visiting.
There is a huge arboretum, a dinky church, a meadow, a walk to the sea and seasonal gardens. In summer the roses and ornamental borders are just dazzling.
A few miles on I park in Craster and walk the mile and a half along the Coastal Path to Dunstanburgh Castle, a ruin on a cliff with great views.
Craster is famous for its smoked fish, especially its kippers. I can’t face a kipper, so I buy some Craster kipper pâté instead. It is very nice indeed so I quit while I’m ahead.
I now jump along to Low Newton-by-the-sea and walk back along the sands at Embleton Bay towards Dunstanburgh Castle, which is now making a superbly jagged silhouette on the skyline.
Once back at Low Newton I follow a friend’s advice and go into the Ship Inn for a crab sandwich on a Northumberland roll, appropriately called a “stottie”.
If you are not doing the whole coast and are just dipping in and out while in the area, on a fine day the walk on this beach with a meal at the Ship to follow is a must-do.
Seahouses is my next stop. This is a fishing village but is now also a real tourist hub with traditional amusements, gift shops and fish and chips.
There are boat trips to the Farne Islands just off shore here, and these trips are well worth it.
If you are a birder or enthusiastic amateur, you can land on a couple of the bigger islands to see the colonies of seabirds.
I opt for the hour and half trip which doesn’t land but goes around all the islands, right up to Longstone.
There are many sandy beaches on the Coastal Path, but someone I meet along the way tells me that this next stretch, between Seahouses and Bamburgh, is the best of them all – and when I see it I think he might be right.
With views to the Farne Islands, and the incredibly photogenic Bamburgh Castle sitting above the dunes ahead of me, this has to be one of the most scenic places in the country.
It’s a mild evening, so I take off my socks and shoes and walk through the crystal-clear water along the shore – idyllic.
From Bamburgh the Coastal Path goes inland for a stretch as the sensitive environmental area of wetland immediately north of here is not appropriate for heavy footfall.
The path climbs a bit so it’s important not to forget to look back at the coast I have left and the views this height affords.
Belford is an unassuming town, but a good pitstop or overnighter, perhaps at the Blue Bell Hotel which people have been using for this very thing since the 1700s.
From Belford the Coastal Path continues through inland countryside back to the coast past the causeway to the Holy Isle, up to the duned beaches of Goswick and Cheswick.
Before I know it I am at Tweedmouth and Berwickupon-tweed, and at the end of this journey.
The coastal area has been a revelation with such beauty and tranquillity.
I shall most certainly be back. n